72 Hours in Ireland

I spent three days in Ireland during my recent Iceland and Ireland cruise. The first place that I visited was Belfast, followed by Waterford and the final port of Cork. This was my first time to Ireland and I have to say that it was a great experience.

I began in Belfast, Northern Ireland and spent some time in the city and at the famous Giant's Causeway. My first stop of this day was at the city center of Belfast, where I spent a little bit of time walking around some famous buildings, an old school and gardens.

About an hour after leaving the city, I arrived at the Giant's Causeway. This place was formed as a result of volcanic fissure eruptions millions of years ago and it is the origin of the legend of giants.

The Giant's Causeway is such an extraordinary place that feels like it's in another world. Just walking through a small portion of it was an incredible experience that I'll never forget.

I spent about two hours walking around this small portion of the Giant's Causeway and I did see a lot, but I would love to go back and spend some more time here so that I don't have to rush and so that I can enjoy this natural wonder even more.

On day 2 in Ireland, I was in the city of Waterford, one of the oldest cities in the country full of rich viking history. While here, I visited a couple of museums that showcase the town's centuries-long viking heritage. It was fascinating to learn about how the city of Waterford was developed and seeing what still remains hundreds of years later.

When I was done going through some museums, I walked around the historical part of Waterford and saw some very old buildings and even got to go to the top of an original tower (interior pictured below). Although this city was fascinating, it was probably my least favorite location that I visited while in Ireland.

On my third and final day in Ireland, I was in the southern city of Cork. While in cork, I had two main points of interest that I visited: the Blarney Castle and Gardens and the town of Kinsale.

My first stop was at the Blarney Castle and Gardens, where I spent about 2-3 hours walking around the beautiful landscaping and inside the famous Blarney Castle. I was even able to kiss the Blarney Stone, which according to legend, endows the kisser with the gift of eloquence and persuasiveness. They do disinfect the stone after it is kissed by each individual who chooses to do so (hundreds of people kiss the stone every day). Now that I can say I've kissed the Blarney Stone, I will never do it again, even if I go back in the future.

I would gladly visit the Blarney Castle grounds again just to spend some more time in the gardens. I did get to venture through some of the gardens here, but there are many more that I have not yet seen.

My next stop of the day was in the town of Kinsale, where I spent about an hour walking around the historic district and through a gorgeous neighborhood.

This stop wasn't really significant in any way. Instead, it was more of a leisure stop and it was a nice end to my time in Ireland. I can't wait to come back to explore more of Ireland's wonders.